Frequently Asked Question

Malware and antivirus software

How do I manually uninstall my Windows ESET security product?

Issue

  • You have used the ESET Start Menu uninstaller and continue to have problems uninstalling or reinstalling your ESET product
  •  Uninstallation fails
  • Your ESET security product remains active after uninstallation


 
I am a Mac user

 

Solution

 

Windows Vista,  Home Server,  XP,  Windows Server 2003 R2, 2003, 2000


Warning:

Using the ESET Uninstaller may reset your Windows network settings. 

 
  1. Download the ESET Uninstaller application (500 KB) and save it to your Desktop.
    Download ESET Uninstaller

  2. Restart your computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key during startup until the advanced options are displayed. Select Safe Mode and press Enter

  3. Double-click the ESETUninstaller icon on your Desktop to begin the uninstallation process.

    Advanced user commands: (To view a full list of available commands for the ESET Uninstaller, type ESETUninstaller.exe /help):

    - If you are removing ESET security products from bootable media you will be asked whether you want to remove ESET files from each available partition separately.

    - The /mode=offline parameter specifies the uninstallation mode for CD and USB drives.

    - The /mode=online parameter specifies hard disks. Very rarely, you may need to use the /mode=online parameter to force the ESET security product file deletions if the ESET Uninstaller does not detect your bootable media automatically.

    - To remove all present antivirus installations without being prompted, run the uninstaller with the /force parameter.

    - If the ESET Uninstaller cannot be used successfully in Safe Mode, disable self-defense in your ESET product and restart your computer. Run the ESET Uninstaller again using the /nosafemode parameter.

  4. Read the warning and type y to confirm.

    Figure 1-1

  5. Type the number that corresponds to the ESET installation you want to remove and press Enter.

    Figure 1-2

  6. Type y to confirm your selection.

    Figure 1-3

  7. Once the ESET Uninstaller tool is finished running, press any key to exit and then restart your computer in normal mode.

    - The uninstaller writes a log of all its processes to the ~ESETUninstaller.log file (located in the same folder as the ESETUnistaller.exe file) for future reference.

  8. Click the link below that corresponds to your ESET product for help with reinstallation. 

    If you continue to experience issues with reinstallation, repeat the steps above to run the ESET Uninstaller application again. Because ESET is designed as a security application, in some instances multiple attempts are required to uninstall the product completely.
     

 

 
Windows7,  Windows 8,  Windows Server 2008 (R2)
 


ESET Knowledgebase Video
To watch a video of the steps below, click here.


Warning:

If you are using the ESET Uninstaller tool to remove ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server from Server 2008, you will be required to reinstall your network card drivers. 

 
  1. Download the ESET Uninstaller application (500 KB) and save it to your Desktop.
    Download ESET Uninstaller

  2. Restart your computer in Safe Mode

  3. Click Start, type cmd into the bottom search bar and press Enter.
    - Windows 8 Users: Press the Windows key   + Q to search for apps, type cmd into the search bar and click Command Prompt.

  4. In the command prompt window type cd desktop and press Enter.

    In some cases, the ESET Uninstaller utility will need to be launched by typing ESETUninstaller.exe /reinst into the command line and pressing Enter (see Figure 1-4). The ESET Uninstaller utility will prompt you if the above switch is necessary. 

    If you are prompted to use the ESETUninstaller.exe /reinst command, your Network Interface Card settings will be reset. We recommend that you record your network settings somewhere so that you can easily reconfigure them after running the uninstaller tool.


    Figure 1-4 

    Advanced user commands: To view a full list of available commands for the ESET Uninstaller, type ESETUninstaller.exe /help.

    - If you are removing ESET security products from bootable media you will be asked whether you want to remove ESET files from each available partition separately.

    - The /mode=offline parameter specifies the uninstallation mode for CD and USB drives.

    - The /mode=online parameter specifies hard disks. Very rarely, you may need to use the /mode=online parameter to force the ESET security product file deletions if the ESET Uninstaller does not detect your bootable media automatically.

    - To remove all present Antivirus installations without being prompted, run the uninstaller with the /force parameter.

    - If the ESET Uninstaller cannot be used successfully in Safe Mode, disable self-defense in your ESET product and restart your computer. Run the ESET Uninstaller again using the /nosafemode parameter.

  5. Read the warning and type y to confirm.

    Figure 1-5

  6. Type the number that corresponds to the ESET installation you want to remove and press Enter.

    Figure 1-6

  7. Verify that you are uninstalling the correct ESET security product from the correct operating system and type y to confirm.

    Figure 1-7

  8. The ESET Uninstaller will run for under a minute and then prompt you to press any key to exit the ESET Uninstaller. After you do, restart your computer in normal mode.

    - The uninstaller writes a log of all its processes to the ~ESETUninstaller.log file (located in the same folder as the ESETUnistaller.exe file) for future reference.

  9. Click the link below that corresponds to your ESET product for help with reinstallation.

    If you continue to experience issues with reinstallation,
    delete the ehdrv driver using device manager and then repeat the steps above to run the ESET Uninstaller application again. Because ESET is designed as a security application, in some instances multiple attempts are required to uninstall the product completely.

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